Vaccines

Vaccinations protocols are a controversial topic in today’s Veterinary society. Some vets advise to perform a set of kitten vaccines from 8 – 16 weeks of age followed by yearly boosters while others advise to vaccinate the kitten with the primal set of kitten vaccines and no yearly boosters or boosters every 3 years instead of every year. Some vets recommend only the FVRCP vaccine as part of the core vaccines while others include the FeLV vaccine.

At Tildonia Dolls Cattery, we recommend inoculating with the FVRCP and rabies vaccine only. Our kittens receive their first FVRCP vaccine at 8-10 weeks of age. Our trusted veterinarian continues vaccinating them every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age. If the kitten leaves for their new home at 12 weeks of age the last FVRCP vaccine becomes the responsibility of the new owner. We recommend immunizing with the rabies vaccine when the kitten is 5 – 6 months of age. Vaccines should be administered individually to reduce risk of vaccine reactions and to determine sensitivity if a vaccine reaction occurs.

By 6 months of age your kitten should be fully vaccinated. As far as continued care, we recommend one booster of the FVRCP vaccine a year after the first. The rabies vaccine must be updated in accordance to your state and county law. The booster for the rabies vaccine is not for your cats health; in fact, it is a detriment to their health.

In addition to the FVRCP and rabies vaccine, your veterinarian may recommend to vaccinate your cat against Feline Leukemia. We do NOT recommend allowing vaccination with the Feline Leukemia Vaccine (FeLV) unless your cat is exposed to Feline Leukemia positive cats. Once a cat is vaccinated with the Feline Leukemia vaccine they are likely to trigger a false positive on the feline leukemia test. This can be alarming if you don’t expect it.

Most kittens do very well after their vaccinations and show little to no sign that anything happened at all. 

It is normal to see the following for a day or two after vaccines are given:

• Discomfort at the site of injection
• Lethargy or reluctance to play
• Mild fever
• Mild warmth or swelling at the site of injection
• Reduced appetite

If any of these symptoms persist for more than 72 hours, please let us know. While mild pain at the site of injection is normal, we don’t want your pet to be uncomfortable. If you feel that your kitten is in pain please let the office know. We are very happy to set up a safe and effective pain medication that you can give at home, and we can refill this with each vaccine visit. 

More severe reactions are rare but do occur. More severe reactions that are not normal include: 

• Facial swelling
• Difficulty breathing
• Hives
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea
• Collapse

These symptoms may be signs of a severe allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis and should be taken seriously. They typically occur within a few hours of the vaccine being given. If you see any of these symptoms in your kitten after vaccinations are given you need to call right away and bring him/her in to be seen. If our office is closed, you need to take your kitten to be evaluated at an emergency center. Our doctor on call can help you determine if this is necessary if you are unsure what to do. 

Depending on the severity and type of symptoms seen, kittens that exhibit these more severe vaccine reactions will need to have certain precautions taken before getting further vaccinations. These precautions might include: Spacing out and separating vaccines, giving Benadryl or other medications before vaccinations, or monitoring your kitten in the hospital for some time after vaccines are given. 

Lumps can sometimes be felt after a vaccine is given. This is not an allergic reaction to the vaccine but rather a normal part of the inflammatory response to a vaccine, and they typically resolve without any intervention. However, if a lump remains for longer than 3 months after the vaccine was administered, or is growing in size rather than shrinking, it needs to be examined by a veterinarian and removed. Some cats can develop a localized tumor at the site of injection called a vaccine-associated sarcoma. These are very rare but are aggressive and all lumps arising at a site where a vaccine was given should be taken seriously and monitored closely. 

Once a pet has experienced a vaccine reaction it is very important to make sure your veterinary team is aware of this history - especially if you move or change veterinarians for some other reason. 

Although vaccinations can’t completely prevent infection if your cat has had overwhelming exposure to a particular virus or disease, any infection they do catch will likely be milder, and your cat will be less likely to spread infection to other cats.

Although indoor cats may not spend their days exploring the great outdoors, contact with the outside world is still likely to happen. All the cat needs is a door left open a bit too long for them to squeeze out into the wide world. Plus, other cats or pets that visit can easily bring illnesses with them. This is why kitten vaccinations are necessary for indoor cats as well.